Those questions were: what size cut of wool and what size hook do I use? The other was, do I skip every other hole
and row? Thank you, Colleen, for the questions and hope to satisfactorily answer them for you.
My
go to cut is #8.5 but any given pattern I’ll mix sizes when and where needed. That said I have also hooked a couple narrow cut mats in #3 cut but don't plan to do another as that cut is not for me. I have used wider cuts and even hand torn, but you'd usually find me using #8.5.
The Hartman thick shank is my favorite hook and the one I use most and have a few in case one goes missing. Occasionally when doing a narrow cut outline I'll use a more narrow shank with a less sharp point, and you can see I still have my very first hook, a Moshimer.
As for spacing of holes there are a lot of variables. I hook on primitive linen which accommodates
wide strips. Spacing is also determined by thickness and size of wool strip and whether hooking straight
down the row hooking or curvature. When I hook in a straight line I usually skip two holes from the last loop then pull a loop.
In this photo below I'm about to go around the curve so you can see I pushed my shank in a hole to open it up if I was to hook straight. Since I'm working around a curve I would count two holes and the third count would be to the left of that hole making it closer to the motif and more rounded. OR, perhaps it would be more eye appealing if the count was diagonal spaces toward the curvature instead of the 1, 2, shift on the 3rd.
As to how many holes away from the last row ~ usually four rows . BUT, again that is dependent on whether the wool is a thin flimsy wool, fulled wool, narrow cut, etc. Could be that only 3 spaces away would work better in that scenario.
I remember an early class Bev Conway telling us that the top of the loop should look
rounded, not squished flat, so the light can pick up the color. And you should see an opening in the loop. This photo below is a very poor shot and hard to see an opening on the dark wool. But just inside you can see the rounded loops of the lighter colored wool (an #8 cut) for the vine lines. If you click on the photo it will enlarge.
FYI, that #8 wool strip was hooked skipping the same amount of holes as the #8.5. Sometimes when pulling up a loop it may not look just right so reduce the number of holes or move over another hole. Direction hooking, composition of the wool and size all influence how it looks. Your eye will decide....hook on and have fun.
Hopefully I've answer your questions but if anyone has something they'd like my input on please reach out in the EMAIL ME section on my blog.
Happy hooking.
Saundra
